So you have great products and a solid number of visitors every month, but there’s one problem: all that traffic is not converting into sales and you’re stumped as to why. Well, no need to rack your brains any longer. Here are three key strategies that will help you meet your conversion goals.

Increase Conversion Rate by Improving the Look and Feel of the Site

Graphics. Your homepage is the first page most visitors will see and if it doesn’t grab them at the first sight, don’t expect them to stay and make a purchase. Make sure all your product photos, graphics and images look vivid, crisp and arresting. The main image and headlines should be “above the fold” so that visitors don’t have to do the extra work of scrolling down.

Headlines. People respond well to words that have an emotional appeal or a phrase they can relate to. Use adjectives, verbs and phrases that sell a lifestyle. Get ideas from magazine cover lines, which are known for being short, sweet and concise. Words like “best,” “top,” “must-have” and “free” grab visitors, as well as customer testimonials.

Security and Credibility. Online shoppers will be more prone to buy if they feel the site is secure and certified with a validation button, which can increase conversion rate up to 15 percent. Mcafeesecure.com, Verisign.com and BBB.org are widely used by many accredited e-commerce sites.

Increase Conversion Rate by Improving Navigation

Remember to K.I.S.S.—keep it short and simple. What may seem easy and clear to you may not be clear to visitors. Make sure the navigation isn’t roundabout or confusing but easy and straightforward from step one to checkout and payment. Remember to cross-sell your products as a way to introduce an item they wouldn’t otherwise look for and buy.

Increase Conversion Rate by Using Analytics Data

Constantly check and analyze your site’s analytics data to see what links and products are the most popular. Create a separate page for those popular items and market them on the front page.

Make sure to check where the bulk of your traffic is coming from. The issue of conversion rates being low can also be attributed to faulty targeting. For instance, your website might rank high for a keyword phrase that is unrelated to your site, which means visitors would just land on your page and instantly leave. If this is the issue, consider hiring an SEO specialist.

After implementing the above conversion marketing tactics, work on attaining loyal customers with appealing packaging and discount coupons with the order. And in no time, you’ll be on your way to a successful online store.

The Internet is an amazing vehicle for turning ideas into money, and this is the time to look to cyberspace to find your own personal cash machine. Affiliate marketing is just such a deal. Not only is it an easy way to make money from your own website, it is also a relatively lazy way to earn income.

Who Benefits From Affiliate Marketing?

Both sides benefit from this affiliation. The company that uses affiliate marketers gets expanded advertising for their company or product at no real expense other than a small commission that is only paid upon receipt of orders. On top of those additional sales, exposure for their company or product on the Internet is greatly increased with no additional cost or effort.

On the flip side, the affiliate marketer can advertise a huge amount of products and earn commission without any real work. They do not have to bother with storage, shipping or handling of products. They generate sales for the company and receive commissions, just like any other commissioned salesperson but with little to no effort. Risk for the affiliate marketer is minimal. If an ad does not generate a sale, it is the only risk to either party in this joint venture.

How is Affiliate Marketing Achieved?

Implementing affiliate marketing is simple. Just place text or banner ads on your website and all the work is done by someone else. You offer exposure to your audience, and when sales result, you get paid. At the same time, classy ads can add prestige to your webpage look, and commissions can be generated day or night, 24/7.

Are There Drawbacks?

One drawback might be if the affiliate’s website audience does not act on the advertising to click through to the advertiser’s website and make a purchase. Targeting and niche marketing can help offset this risk as a targeted audience is more likely to act upon ads of interest to their group. Drawbacks for the advertiser include some lack of control over ad placement and affiliate website content. Termination of the agreement is always an option on both sides.

How to Join Affiliate Programs?

To join affiliate programs, there are several websites that are available to use as clearing houses. Sign-up is free, and they handle the commission tracking and payments for the companies. Some individual companies may also offer their own programs to website owners wishing to become affiliates and run ads for their products. The clearing houses are easy to use and include: Commission Junction and Webgains, among others.

What Happens After I Join Affiliate Marketing?

As soon as you are accepted, which should be immediately, you can sign up to be an affiliate marketer or publisher for advertisers of your choice. Each one will need to look at your website and make an approval prior to using their ads and receiving payments. With a clearing house situation, there are paperwork benefits like only giving out your tax information one time. You receive payment any time your commissions are above a certain required level, such as $10.

What is the Hard Part?

Perhaps the most difficult thing about becoming a paid affiliate is generating the traffic on your website that will be likely to purchase any affiliate products you are advertising. If you cram your website full of banner ads, people like to call that a “banner farm” and it does not work as well as a niche plan. Without the right audience, ads will go unnoticed and sales will not be made.

What Do Affiliate Companies Want from Affiliate Marketers?

For advertisers, finding the right affiliates with websites that will draw your target audience is important. It does not make sense to allow your ads to be placed on irrelevant websites. For example, ads for baby clothes would not work well on a website featuring cigars or guns. Advertisers can still control placement of their ads, and they can terminate non-productive affiliates. This type of advertising can give you vastly improved reach for your ads around the world, at minimal commission costs.

Affiliate marketing can be turned into a cash machine for everyone if done correctly. Marketers need to gain the right viewership while advertisers must have great offers and nicely designed ads. This opportunity for sales and profit can be amazing for both parties to the deal.